31 Gifts Under $50 to Stuff Your Stocking and Fill Your Pantry

Forget naughty or nice—as far as we’re concerned, everyone deserves a ceramic French butter keeper this year. Find more gifts that stand the test of time—and those that don’t (chocolate covered malt balls, anyone?)—for every budget and carry-on size, in our guide to the gifts we’ve been coveting all through 2015.

“My favorite chocolate company just started making its own version of my mom’s favorite candy. Good thing my mom only reads articles that have been directly emailed to her or she would have just had her Hannukah gift spoiled!” —Julia Kramer, senior editor

If they look like something out of a lab, that’s because they are. Scientists rely on this glass to withstand temperature swings without breaking. You’ll rely on it to go from freezer to stove to microwave.

"This monthly subscription box comes with condiments, spices, sweets, and more items that really speak to the place they're from, selected by chefs familiar with the cuisine (think: Alex Atala for the Brazil box). But they don't just drop off the box and expect you to fill in the gaps: Each ingredient comes with a description for context and a few tips on how to use it. Opening the box is the closest thing you can get to souvenir shopping at the end of a great vacation abroad." —Elyssa Goldberg, associate web editor

“This classic espresso maker lasts a really long time if you take care of it, and make very good espresso—for someone who cares about good coffee but can’t afford a giant, fancy home machine. I have both received and gifted these, and always to great response.” —Emma Wartzman, assistant to the editor in chief

”I have been pretty obsessed with bread lately and these are at the top of my wish list this year. I’d also want the cloth liner that goes with it—bannetons seem like an extravagance when you can just use a bowl to proof bread dough, but they make the most beautiful loaves. I wouldn’t buy for myself, but would be so psyched to receive as a gift.” —Claire Saffitz, senior associate food editor

“Life is a cruel inexorable march toward death, so it’s really important to have a cute calendar with which to mark each passing day. Claire Crespo’s Hurray Today 2016 Calendar is like a cat calendar except not completely insane—actually, it’s a compilation of 12 amazingly detailed “mandala” illustrations, each of which heralds a different delicious sandwich. Bonus: Crespo lists all the really important dates—like moon cycles and Prince’s birthday.” —Julia Kramer, senior editor

If you can’t be in Provence, at least you can effortlessly butter a baguette like a Frenchman. This dish uses a 19th-century French method for keeping butter soft and fresh without refrigeration: Add water to the base and it maintains an airtight seal.